Thread: Damn...

Just had my fifth shave with my shavette. Used the green holder with single edge Personna blade for the first time. I wanted my gf to see part of the process before she left. I ended up rushing the hot towel treatment a bit and making a lather that ended up being just a tad too dry. That coupled with the using the longer blade for the first time ended up as a bad combination. I think...

At first I thought it was the blade not being sharp enough, but it passed the HHT, not perfectly(it pulled the hair just a teenie bit before cutting it) but it passed it. And it was cutting the hairs just fine, unlike the Dovo DE blade I used last time which were pretty bad. It wasn't as sharp as the Feather blades, but only by a fraction. The blade is a little thicker than DEs too.

The first pass went fine, but as soon as I started the second pass after rinsing and re-lathering, I the right side of my neck area stinging bit(this is my most sensitive area). And I saw two dots of blood on two different spots which I hadn't even felt or seen during the first pass. Weird. By the time I finished this pass the aforementioned area was red and stinging quite a bit, especially after I applied the styptic pencil(I had a couple of nicks). Now most of my neck area is a little irritated, right side still a little red, even after applying aftershave balm(Nivea) and a little lotion.

I'm not sure what went wrong. It might be the blade but I doubt it, it was sharp enough to make a really clean, shallow, almost blood free cut on my left cheek by only resting the blade for a half a millisecond. That and it passing the HHT make me think it wasn't the sharpness, but maybe I'm wrong? The lather wasn't my best, but it was better than my first one, and on my first shave I didn't get this irritation. I want to think it was my lousy shave prep. I only did a hot towel treatment without lather, and no shower.

I'm gonna try again in a couple of days. DO a better shave prep, maybe use some Extra Virgin Olive Oil(EVOO as Rachel Ray would say :P) as a pre-shave oil, been considering that.

What do you guys think it was?

Too fast on the prep and dry lather are a good mix. Your first guess is probably the best. Now you will get to make a really nice lather, then spend a nice long time softening those whiskers and give yourself a good shave. Don't rush on it. I don't think your GF really needs to see you do it. Most wimmins aren't interested in it much. Let them gabber on about their own worthless, petty problems. That's what's important!

Originally Posted by AxelH

Too fast on the prep and dry lather are a good mix. Your first guess is probably the best. Now you will get to make a really nice lather, then spend a nice long time softening those whiskers and give yourself a good shave. Don't rush on it. I don't think your GF really needs to see you do it. Most wimmins aren't interested in it much. Let them gabber on about their own worthless, petty problems. That's what's important!

Haha, I simply wanted her to see and feel the lather since she's been arguing it wouldn't be any different than the canned goo I used before. Suffice to say she was impressed with how it felt, even if it wasn't my best, but she was in a rush.

Anyway. I plan on using the same blade next time. I've heard these stay sharp a little longer than DE blades due to their increased thickness. Plus if I get a batter shave I'll definitely know it wasn't the blade.

Question. When using a pre-shave oil such as olive oil, I assume you rinse your face, towel it dry and rub the oil in; then apply the lather over it?

The stinging and the two weepers could also be a result of being a bit too aggressive with your angle and or pressure.

Originally Posted by Lazarus

The stinging and the two weepers could also be a result of being a bit too aggressive with your angle and or pressure.

Perhaps. I applied basically no pressure, but I may have used too steep an angle on some areas. Will watch that more next time.

Originally Posted by Lazarus

The stinging and the two weepers could also be a result of being a bit too aggressive with your angle and or pressure.

This sounds right to me. In my experience as the angle of the blade gets steeper you need to use less pressure. This is one of the main reasons that the chin and neck areas cause us so much grief.

Sub-standard prep tends to to magnify other technique problems, so you may have had a "perfect storm" kind of situation.

Originally Posted by HColl

Just had my fifth shave with my shavette.

It takes a while for your skin to adapt to the "scraping". Avoiding multi-pass-shaves the first couple of weeks eases your face into it while youre getting smoother with the blade. Relax. Enjoy.

Originally Posted by HColl

At first I thought it was the blade not being sharp enough, but it passed the HHT

HHT has severe limitations. Read wiki for explanation.

Originally Posted by HColl

The first pass went fine, but

I read somewhere that; "It takes a while for your skin to adapt to scraping..."

Sounds like youre doing great. Ill end with a quote:

"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it"

You can add in a pre-shave oil if you like. I've used it and didn't notice much difference, but it can't hurt, especially when you're starting into straight shaving. I don't think it is necessary to dry your face first, though, just rub it in while your face is still wet.

The blades you are using are plenty sharp. You are very likely using WAY too much pressure, as I did with a Shavette at first. The results are always weepers, nicks, and plenty of razor burn. Using a Shavette will really refine your technique. You'll also become a Stypticmeister! Good luck!

I've not tried Olive oil or another pre shave oil prep but my wife picked me up some King of Shaves oil at the drug store the other day and I tried it out last night. It was nice. Helped with some irritation. I've been using my shavette with the red holder for a while and have mostly gotten my skin used to it. The shave oil made things smoother, especially when it came time for multiple passes, it really seemed to keep my skin happy. I've also noticed with the shavette that I get less irritation with creams instead of soaps unless I add some liquid glycerin.

Welcome to SRP and straight razor shaving. It's great to have you here and I hope you come to enjoy this process as much as I do.

Prep is important but I would agree with those who are suggesting you may be using too much pressure. It may seem as if you are using no pressure but if you are just 5 shaves into this my guess is that you are more heavy handed than you think.

Many members think a half ground or quarter ground straight is a good grind to learn on as their edges are more firm. I think the same thing about the Personna rigid blades. I find that I have to be extra careful and extra light for the first shave on a new blade. About the third shave things get easier.

I would suggest you read the post, http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...explained.html. I found it extremely helpful in understanding the light touch.

Enjoy